So today was my first time deadlifting with chalk, and I decided to try out my one rep max. Previously it has always been my grip to fail first, so struggling to stand was a first! Today was my first day experiencing hitching, so this would have been red lighted for a competition, but I still got it up! I got up 275x5 right before this w/o any hitching. I know my back is rounding, this is a max effort attempt so please no need to comment on that.

History- initial weight training starting in Fall 2011-Spring 2012. It was a 2 day split set up by my high school for the weight training class. After that I took a year and a half off while I was putting my life together out of high school restarted lifting with Starting Strength in October 2013. I had a back injury in December which kept me from squatting and deads for ~2 months, I did smolov jr. for bench during this time. Restarted SS again once my back was better and got my lifts back to where they were, then started my own routine around April.

Diet and weight- IIFYM. mainly just trying to eat as much as I can though, as I have trouble eating enough. Between November 2013 to April 2014 I gained around 9 lbs (117 to 126). May I lost 5 lbs (121 lbs) though due to Finals week and getting sick, I also had to take almost 2 weeks off working out then. When I came back 2 weeks ago my working sets had all gone down 15-20 lbs. As of now my weight is still around 121 lbs and I am struggling to eat enough for my activity level, although my squat and bench have gone back up to being only 5 lbs less than what they were, and my deadlift has exceeded what it was.

Current routine- A bit scattered at the moment, things havent been normal since finals. Generally I do chest 2x a week, legs 2x a week, and back 2x a week. I always do legs and chest on separate days and i usually pair back with legs, but not always.

Chest day 1: flat bench 3x5, incline 3x5, weighted dips 3x5

Chest day 2: flat bench 3x8, incline 3x8, weighted dips 3x8

Legs days: Squat 3x5, Bulgarian split squat 3x5

Back days: Choose 1 or 2 of the three. Weighted pull-ups starting with max weight I can do for 5 and dropping weight after that throughout the set till I reach failure at body weight, bent over rows 3x5, deadlift 1x5 or 2x5

EDIT: Wow this is getting big! For the people asking is I will compete, I honestly wasnt planning on doing much more than the unofficial competition at my University, though after finding out my lift is large enough to break a mother fucking record that has changed my mind a bit! If I want to break this record though I will need to do so fast, as my birthday is in September and I have no qualifiers yet even under my belt to even compete in national events. The other thing is my back injury in December was from pulling my back trying to touch my toes, and not lifting related :/

EDIT 2: Guys please remember this day I pulled fucking 45 more pounds than I have EVER pulled before. This is a HUGE PR and my form will obviously not be prefect. Form break down happens at a true 1rm.

EDIT 3: Made it to the front page you guys!!!!!

UPDATE: Alright, I registered with USPA and have signed up to do a Raw full-lift meet in Maryland on July 12, 2014. If you want and are local, come cheer me on! How cool would it be to have the reddit community together cheering on a person they convinced to do this in the first place? Here is the Meet info, though I dont know what the specific time will be.

Now to buy a singlet and a belt! Do they make singlets specific for females? And does anyone have any recommendations for good unequipped singlets and belts that wont break my bank?

Just so you know, if you can get rid of the hitch, that'd break the current junior (18-19) American record for the 123lbs weight class in the USPA by 50 pounds. Have you ever competed? Because you should...

Was just going to point this out. Proportionately long arms, whether the person is short or tall, gives one a huge mechanical advantage when performing the deadlift.

I am 5'10" with short arms, long torso. I have struggled and clawed my way to what is approaching a mid-600's deadlift @ 275lb bodyweight.

My short arms are good for benchpressing, but because I have a significant degree of asymmetry in my upper body due to a back injury sustained when I was a kid, the bench has also been a chore to make gains in. Approaching a mid- 300's bench.

This explain why I have had such a big problem with bench press. I recently got fitted for a suit. I'm 6'-5", but found out I have a 6'-10" wingspan (5" longer than what's typical), 39" arms for shirts.

Most I've ever gotten was 2@245lbs. I was 280lbs at the time. Both numbers are worse at this time. :(

Haha! Most of them are ordered from King Size. We have a DXL close by, but $60~$120 for a long sleeve dress shirt is a bit much. Luckily, I'm also very hot natured so I only wear long sleeve when required by an occasion. Otherwise, it's short sleeve and a fleece if it's a little chilly out.

Isn't a lot of success in lifting due to mechanical advantage? I have a similar build to hers and struggled at 225 3x5 squat forever, whereas my short, round friend can squat 250 easy on a bad day. Whereas I outlift him on DL very easily. We are built for diff things. Doesn't take away from her accomplishment.

HOLY SHIT! Really??? I have only ever competed once and it was at my university and not official. I turn 20 in September so I need to get on this. How do I find a meet that qualifies so that if I break the record it will be official?

Wow, just wow, thank you so much! I don't even know what to say, this is all happening so fast. The meet in Maryland I listed above isnt to far from me, about 1 to 2 hours away. I am still trying to figure out if I am even eligible to enter it yet atm though since I have no previous official qualifications.

Work with me and we'll make sure you have a place to stay so you can get a good nights sleep before you break that record.

Edit: fuck our "rape culture" for making it necessary to explain that I'm just trying to help a college student by paying for a hotel so they can as easily as possible be officially recognized for their achievements. I used to be a poor college student myself, and I can fucking empathize and it would make me happy to help someone out.

This is a Push/Pull event. So only Bench (push), Deadlift (pull). Raw means no assisting gear. You want to do the Raw Push Pull. Don't wear yourself out in bench too much, just focus the DL. You'll usually do bench first in the comp, then deadlift last.

Email or call the guy, he'll get you all the info and will probably be pretty excited.

Edit: another thing is, depending on what league you're going to lift in, you'll need to register for that league. Calling/Emailing the guy will get that started. Usually its just a small fee, and you get a business card'ish thing, which is your 'lifting card'. Also, depending the league, depends the records you'll be lifting against. But the best person to lift against, is yourself. :)

Edit 2: Since you're going to go (yup, decided for you), you'll find that you'll get tons of pointers and tips for class lifters. It'll be inspiring and helpful, more than I can express.

Thank you so much! This event was found on this list. Under entry form though, are "2014 National Qualifier with a Class 2 total" and "2014 IPL World Qualifier with Class 1 total" things I need to do before I can even enter this competition though?

The stuff after the Entry Form part are meets (nationals and worlds) that you can qualify for by getting a certain total at this meet. If you want to do a full meet, I'd contact the guy and ask if you can do full power since it's not listed. Otherwise, you could sign up for deadlift only or push/pull (dead and bench) if you're just trying to set that record.

Do not many women participate in this? I used to weightlift in phys ed in high school and could bench that much for my age/weight at the time. Also those numbers start going down after the 132lb class which doesn't seem right.

Not a physical object. It's what you see going on at the top of her lift, as she's trying to lock the weight out and stand up straight with it. She lets the weight rest on her thighs for a second, then jerks it up, repeating this action until she's able to lock the weight out. It's an illegal move that would get your lift redlighted (disqualified) at a meet in any powerlifting league.

That's a sumo deadlift. Depending on your individual proportions, you may find it easier or not to pull heavy weights. Generally long limbs/short torso is better for conventional (shoulder width) and long torso short limbs is better for sumo.

i am always unsure when it come to woman standard of strength so i check... this is just unreal. This is 60 pound more from the bare minimum elite level and all that in a year and a half. For me to get at that level at 185 i would have to lift 610. I don t usually comment on achievement but right now my sense of reality has been shaken. Maybe i am missing something but it doesnt look like it. This is great to say the least.

aw, well thank you. But even though I have only been deadlifting for 8 months (so damn, not even a year and a half), I have been doing other lifts that use similar muscles. In highschool Fall 2011- Spring 2012, Power cleans were used instead of deadlifts in the routine so I got up to 130lb hang power clean before I ever even tried to deadlift, so obviously when I started deadlifting I would have to be able to deadlift at least that, already putting me at "novice" level without ever having actually deadlifted yet. And since people can usually deadlift way more than they can hang power clean, thats how I started so high to begin with. The first or second day (cant recall) I deadlifted I was already doing 185x5.

The first 2/3's of that pull was faaast. Great job. Hitching is always a bummer. For me, at least, it leaves me in a state of limbo for a few minutes after a pull where I'm convinced I got it and didn't get it at the same time. I found that after three plates grip stopped being an issue as long as some chalk was involved. I hope the same for you, because going back to deadlifting when grip was an issue sounds like a nightmare. It's just one less thing to worry about.

Thank you, and Yes! That "state of limbo" is a prefect way of describing what I was feeling. That largely explains my lack of excitement after managing to lift what has been a goal for me. It was amazing how much the chalk helped though holy shit. My previous max was 270x2 before my grip failed, so when I started hitching with the chalk its like "wait, whats going on? Why am I not moving?". It definitely took me a bit by surprise.

I go to the gym 615am-815am daily and it absolutely dies right at 645-745. I assume there's a morning rush for people who have to be at work for 8am so there's a dead time in between that and when the old people get there just after 8

Thanks! The 250 I did in November 2013 was conventional, after I injured my back in December though I switched to sumo as it put less strain on my back. I occasionally still warm up with some conventional but I dont know my max pull.

Also, I'm no expert by any means, so I'm just speculating here, and you don't have to pay too much attention to what I'm about to say, but...

I do sumo-style myself, and I find (along with many other people whom I've read on the internet) that the sticking point for sumo is right off the ground. In my own experience, when I've tested max effort lifts, as soon as the bar is six inches off the ground, I know I'm finishing the lift, but when it's too heavy, it won't even budge those first six inches.

So I was curious why you'd have hitching near the top of your sumo-style deadlift. My guess is that your knees and toes are angled too far in, and you're effectively turning your sumo deadlift into a kind of conventional deadlift with a wide stance.

For reference, maybe watch this video by Chris Duffin, and pay close attention, not only to what he says, but also how he sets up his lift.

In addition, try to use this mental cue: Instead of locking out a deadlift by pulling it up to the top, try to lock out by pushing your hips through the bar.

Thanks for your input, and I completely agree. I usually try and keep my toes pointed out so they are close to making a straight line, but after rewatching the lift I see that I flipped my toe around right before I pulled! I guess in the heat of trying a very large (45 lb) PR, I let my focus go and my body went into autopilot or something. I will have to try again (after adequate rest time) and really focus on toes/knees out more as well as pushing the hips and see if the results differ.

Sometimes "pushing your hips through the bar" ends up causing you to do what is known as "ramping", though, which is something I didn't even know was illegal until I got called for it at a recent meet. It's when you kind of slide the weight up your thighs, and I know USAPL judges do look for it, and call lifts if they see it.

Don't use a bodyweight multiplier to judge an impressiveness of a lift unless someone weighs the same as you and is the same gender. The heavier you are the harder it will be to naturally have a 2x bodyweight lift.

Maybe he's talking about the average gym goer. If he is I'd say that he's right, and you could also say the same about anyone pulling 405. In all of the gyms I've been to I don't know that I've seen a dozen people do that, even though it's a pretty low standard.

OP since you are now competing come check us out at /r/weightroom you can get all the meet prep/day info you need as well as your questions answered about belts and singlets. They can also help with the hitch as well as being an overall great community. I guarantee you will get tons of support and respect.

This goes to everyone. It's a great place no matter where you are in lifting. From beginner to pro.

Are you trying to increase bodyweight? It is good you can see what needs some work in the video. I would advise you to program when coming to finals etc with some deloading weeks this could help increase your consistency. What are your goals?

I was for a while but atm I would just be happy to maintain. I train horses for a living so I'm constantly outside exercising on top of the gym, so eating enough is damn hard! And yeah, lesson learned about finals week. I was also sick that week and thank God its over with. A large part of the current inconsistency is just my shift in schedule from school to summer though. It will hopefully smooth out soon, it appears to be doing so. My goal for 2014 was to deadlift 315 lbs! I think me new goal will be 3x body weight so ~365, and w/o hitching! My goal for bp was 135 which I also met, but that dropped after my weight loss so I need to get that back again. My squat goal is 2x bodyweight so I'm not far off, though that also has dropped a bit with the weight loss, but its coming back quick.

You really should compete. This is seriously impressive and you are only going to get stronger from here on out. If you just hit your deadlift and squat goals and bring up your bench, you will be well above 400 wilks. To give you an idea, that would have you beating a 200 lbs guy lifting a 1400 total.

Stability is key in this kind of lift, similar to in squatting. Especially when you have this much weight on the bar. I would personally not like to even have socks on if going barefoot, but I usually just wear toe-shoes because gym floors are gross.

God dammit, I just broke 300lbs on my deadlift the other day for the first time (5'6" 160lb male) and I thought that was impressive! With numbers like that you really should be competing, keep up the kickass work!

I would suggest checking out Best Belts 3" belt
At $82 it's a bit pricey, but they do fantastic work. I think the 3" would be much better than a 4 for you. They also sell a 2.5" but that is very narrow. Definitely call them to discuss your needs before purchasing, they are very friendly people.

That belt looks perfect! Aside from the 3" width, do you know the other dimensions of the belt? I dont see them on the website, and I need to make sure it is legal for the USPA as according to the rules here on page 11.

Pulling sumo - a girl after my own heart. Seriously, this is super impressive strength, I had to sign in to give props. Half the guys in my gym would struggle with that. Hell I've been doing this a very long time and have a pretty a good deadlift @ 181, but on Wilks (accounting for you being female), you're right there. Very nicely done. You had some good speed off the floor too. I see big things ahead for you.

Hitching aside that's extremely impressive. You're a very gifted athlete. I would honestly advise you to take whatever opportunities you have at your disposal to compete at a high level. You have a promising career ahead of you should you chose to follow it. Kudos.

Dayum! That's quite something. That look on your face.... you're going "yeah I'm going to do this, I'm doing this... there's a problem.... yeah f***K the problem I've done it!" Last time I felt and looked like that I was giving birth.

Seriously, I was like "wow she's really thin for all that muscle" until I saw that you ride. You're burning up tons of what you put in, not helped by the long hours spent on your feet, in the heat, and mucking/grooming on top of it.

You'll put on so much muscle if you eat enough, but it's hard to kick that sinewy, lanky rider look with the amount you're burning up, especially as you said you have a hard time getting enough calories.

I didn't mean "enough period"-- obviously you're doing something/quite a lot of things right. I just meant enough to pack on visible muscle.

You could have crazy CNS recruitment and moderate muscle growth-- and there's no guarantee that increasing mass will increase your strength. But it's hard to get a lot of mass, especially as a woman, on a low/moderate surplus, and I can't imagine it would be easy for you to hit a large surplus without serious, concerted effort.

But yeah, didn't mean to say that you're undereating or anything, just recommending a bulk because I loooooooved the results of mine.

I've been training for powerlifting for just under two years now. I've gotten strong (not near recordbreaking strong like you, but still reasonably strong) and I don't look like it either.

There was a T Nation article linked somewhere here a while ago about the differences between powerlifters and bodybuilders and how they train. tl;dr was, wanna pack on muscle gotta do more volume. If you wanna powerlift, you tend to focus on lower rep, higher weight. I'm guessing you've been doing the latter. Same here.